Different Alcoholic Drinks, Different Effects

There are several theories both for and against the theory that different alcoholic drinks can cause different effects. Some believe it’s a placebo and psychological, whilst others claim there’s truth to it.

Reasons in Support

Different types of alcohol can cause different experiences due to variations in their chemical structures, metabolism, and effects on the brain and body. Ethanol, the type of alcohol commonly found in alcoholic beverages, is a simple molecule consisting of a hydroxyl group attached to a carbon atom. The molecular structure of different types of alcohols, however, can vary greatly. In addition, the way that alcohol is broken down in the system can also affect the experience it produces. The rate at which it is metabolised can vary depending on a person’s liver.

If alcohol is absorbed quicker, this could manifest itself as a different drunk experience. With less intense drinks – such as beer – we tend to drink more of it. This can be quite a dehydrating experience, needing to consume more to get drunk. This can trigger tiredness or a more relaxed feeling. Spirits, on the other hand, have a higher percentage and thus are usually drunk slower. The intensity of the higher percentage drinks can cause more energy. Suddenly, alcohol becomes a stimulant, rather than a depressant. Perhaps this is why Tequila makes you crazy but Fosters makes you sleepy?

Reasons Against

Let’s be honest here, ethanol is ethanol. Alcohol is alcohol. How can there really be different effects from different alcohols? Whilst there has been limited research into this, the mainstream school of thought is that the theory is a myth. Instead, scientists prefer to think about the idea of expectancy. Dru Jaeger writes:

“Expectancy is a psychological term for a predictable relationship between an external stimulus and our response to it. At its simplest, your expectation of what will happen can shape your experience of what happens. So what you expect to happen when you drink can change what actually happens in practice.”

A recent study of 30,000 people found that people attach different emotions to different alcohols. However, these are believed to be caused by this idea of expectancy. Throughout life we find reasons to believe that different drinks make us feel differently – this is based on certain factors. Ultimately, it’s our mindset. Like with the set and setting idea and psychedelic drugs, how we feel before drinking can dictate our experience. If we drink wine when we’re relaxed, it’ll probably make us feel more relaxed. If we drink spirits to go out, we’ll probably feel energetic. If we drink beer to chill out, we’ll probably feel sleepy. You see what’s happening here? The alcohol itself isn’t changing, but the way we feel towards it is. The Conversation writes: 

“The direct effects of alcohol are the same whether you drink wine, beer or spirits. There’s no evidence that different types of alcohol cause different mood states. People aren’t even very good at recognising their mood states when they have been drinking.”

It seems that the evidence is pointing towards this theory being a myth. It’s a bit like people saying that different sweets cause different sugar highs. Of course there are foods that have more intense portions of sugar, but this doesn’t mean that it’s causing an entirely alternative experience. The mixture of varying levels of alcohol, alongside this idea of expectancy, is what gives people the impression of a different kind of drunk. With this in mind, it’s not the alcoholic drink that is different, it is us.